‘Perfect storm’ of hail causes roof, water damage to some Bend homes

(Update: Adding video, comments from owner of hail-damaged home, roofing company)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Two large hailstorms have caused serious damage to some Bend homes this summer.

This is not the first time Central Oregon has had some rough storms, including damaging hail, but it's the damage to homes and roofs that is so unusual.

On June 23rd, Kayla Carol and others in northeast Bend heard heavy rain and hail for nearly an hour.

"I kept thinking when's it going to stop, it was so loud,” Carol said Wednesday. 

Carol has lived at her current house near off Hunters Circle for two years, but has lived in Bend for nine.

"I've never seen the kind of weather we're getting this summer, at all, since I've lived here,” Carol said. 

A second storm, this time with golf ball-sized hail or larger, hit areas of Bend on Monday.

Carol didn't worry so much about this storm, because the damage was already done, and her roof was already replaced.

"This second storm that came in, I didn't get any hail, thank goodness, because the roof was just replaced,” Carol said. 

The first hailstorm cracked vents, caused water damage in the house and left pieces of shingles all over her front lawn.

"Being the house is only two years old, replacing the roof that soon was just -- I felt guilty putting all that material in the landfills and everything. But you had no choice,” Carol said. 

Nicholas Greenlee, owner of Greenlee Roofing, said this type of damage doesn't happen often.

"You kind of have to have a perfect mix for a hail storm to really damage a house. It's got to be in the right location, the right size, the right density of hail, the right wind, but when that hits it can be devastating,” Greenlee said. 

He said after both of these storms, they have received 20 to 30 calls per day.

About 90 percent of the time, there is damage to the roof, paint or siding.

He said after a storm, it's better to check before any damage gets worse.

"It's really key that if you see that hail that you call somebody who's going to know what they're looking at,” Greenlee said. “And everybody's willing to, right? Anybody in the industry is going to come out, do a free inspection and tell you what they see." 

Greenlee said there is not much preparation you can do for your house ahead of a sudden hailstorm, but recommends moving all cars, patio furniture or important belongings under cover.